Kid Bicycle Accidents – Helmets Protect Against Head Injury
Posted by rozeklawoffice on February 22, 2010 under Bicycle Accidents, Child Injuries | 
Read the First Comment
The single most important thing you can do to reduce serious injury among children riding bicycles, skateboards, and rollerblades is to make sure they are wearing a helmet every time they set out to ride. Here are some statistics to drive home the point:
- Each year, approximately 140 children are killed on bikes.
- Children sustain more than 275,000 nonfatal bicycle injuries each year.
- Nearly 690 children are injured daily due to bicycle accidents.
- Other than the car, bikes are the cause of more childhood injuries than any other consumer product.
- 75% of fatal head injuries among child bicyclists could have been prevented by wearing a bicycle helmet.
- More children ages 5-14 are seen in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to biking that any other sport.
- Helmet use can reduce the risk of head injury by 85% and severe brain injury by 88%.
Regardless of the statistics, national estimates report that only 15-25% of children that bicycle wear helmets.
Other than understanding the importance of wearing a helmet for safety, it is also important for parents to understand where bicycle fatalities occur the most. Statistics show that 53% of child bicycle fatalities occur when a child is riding on a minor road compared with 46% when riding on a major road (highway). Also, 58% occur at non-intersection locations.
If you are a parent or watch children bicyclists under the age of 16, please have them wear a helmet to protect them in the event of a bicycle accident.
If you or someone you love has been in a bicycle accident, please contact an experienced bicycle accident lawyer to ensure your rights are protected and you receive adequate compensation for your injuries and medical bills.
Mark E said,
This is a critical issue. This country needs people to spend MORE time on bicycles – to help reduce obesity, cardio-health issues, improve mental awareness, and reduce toxic emissions by vehicles. Parents should set an example and ALWAYS wear safety helmets when riding – alone or with their children (this is something I see way too often: kids wearing helmets, parents NOT, on their bikes). Bikewisconsin, an organization that runs the three largest week long tours in Wisconsin, has a Child Bike Safety Helmet program, which gives away 20 helmets to children in each of the 19 overnight towns that host the tours. These are small ways in which we can advocate for safety for our children while encouraging healthy lifestyles.